KeyCite

Have you ever found just "the" case? The facts are similar, the ruling is favorable, but it's in the wrong jurisdiction or there just isn't enough detail about how the court arrived at its decision on a particular issue.

You can use the Westlaw KeyCite feature to review other decisions and secondary sources that have cited "the" case. Simply log on to Westlaw, double click on the KC button on the tool bar and enter your cite. You will get both the history of the case and citing references.

The last entry topic under citing references is secondary sources. This will list ALR, treatise and Law Review articles, among others, that discuss "the" case. It is a great source for a more in-depth discussion of issues.

If you are monitoring specific pieces of legislation or statutes for any changes, you can use KeyCite to alert you to pending or amended legislation. Simply log on to Westlaw and click on the KC button on the top tool bar. Enter your code citation such as 39 USC 1004. You'll notice that with this particular cite, there's a yellow flag, meaning there's legislation pending that may impact that statute, and the legislation is located in the citations window.

Using a different cite like 26 USC 527, you'll see a red flag, meaning that this statute has been amended and you should review it carefully using the most current version for impact to your particular situation.

If you'd like more information on using KeyCite, please feel free to contact the West Reference Attorneys at (800) 733-2889 or the Law Librarian at the Wirtz Labor Library at (202) 693-6613.